On two consecutive weekends in October, members of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Lake Zurich loaded supplies for victims of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, shipping over 40 pallets of water, diapers, garbage bags and other nonperishable items.

The supplies were collected during the week from members of the community and in the parish and school, then packed up on Oct. 19 and 26.

 It got started with parishioner Matt Dulen, president of Contract Installations in Lake Forest, who is also a member of the Knights of Columbus Queen of Peace Council 3954. His three children attend St. Francis de Sales School.

As Dulen watched Hurricane Milton unfold, he spoke to his staff and asked what they could do and how soon they could do it.

They decided on the supply collection, and donated goods were shipped to the company’s warehouse in Tampa.

His team there is working with a local charity to distribute the items.

“To be honest, it kind of took your breath away a little bit when I got to the parish on Saturday (Oct. 19). I did not expect that many donations and the outpouring from the community as well as the parish and the school,” Dulen said. “It was a really cool thing to see and be a part of.”

His company doesn’t have a warehouse in Asheville to house the second shipment, so he worked with Knights of Columbus groups and other organizations to find a location to accept the supplies.

He and his company have donated to causes before, but this is the first time Dulen organized a large shipment of supplies to people in need.

“I have three children and one on the way, and in today’s world, to see people come together for a good cause, it’s a refreshing thing and gives you hope for the future,” Dulen said.

Father David Ryan encouraged all of the young people and families in the parish to take part in the collection, preaching about the corporal works of mercy and the Good Samaritan during all of the Masses the weekend before the first shipment on Oct. 19.

“This was the right opportunity and a good time to help our fellow citizens,” Ryan said. “The people of this good parish respond when they know what the need is.”

Outreach and service are important to both the church and school, he said. 

“When this moment happened, you could either watch it on TV or do something. I always try to convey the point that what impacts one part of our country with our citizens impacts us all,” Ryan said. “Whether it’s people in our parish that we help, asylum seekers two summers ago or now citizens in Tampa Bay and Asheville, it’s just ordinary people rising to the occasion.”

The students at St. Francis de Sales School also pitched in to help with the donation, said Principal Mary Keller.

The student council took the lead on the marketing, creating announcements and fliers for the school. Each day, seventh and eighth graders from the National Junior Honors Society transported donated items to the parish ministry center and sorted them. Some also helped pack the donations into trucks on the weekend.

Students in the school have a strong sense of service, she said.

“They always are looking for opportunities to help and to serve either our community here in our area or across the country,” Keller said. “It’s not even one of those things where we have to beg for help. They are just willing to step up.” 

It is part of the spirit of Catholic education, she said.

“I’m a Catholic principal because we’re not only about the academics, but we’re also about faith formation, and a huge aspect of our faith is service,” Keller said. “That’s what we like to instill in our students, to be Christ-like. Service to others is a huge part of that. Seeing them rise to the occasion when we have opportunities like this to help people in need is very heartwarming and is what makes me feel blessed every day to be a Catholic school principal.”